Display system

ABSTRACT

A product display system comprising a top and bottom, one or more display panels forming a display column together with the top and bottom, and one or more box openings adjacent to one or more eyeglass post openings in the display panels such that the eyeglasses are displayed adjacent to their boxes. Also a method of displaying eyeglasses adjacent to their packaging.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a display apparatus that can display the packaging of a product in the immediate vicinity and in visible relation to the product. More specifically, the invention relates to the retail display of eyeglasses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Retail displays are critical to the sales of consumer products as they are the means by which products are positioned in the view and reach of prospective purchasers. Product displays are therefore configured to hold and position products in the view of consumers in an orderly and appealing arrangement. To this end, a great variety of product display racks and product support devices have been contrived for all types of products.

In many industries products are packaged in material designed to directly relate aesthetically to the product. Typical retail displays are not capable of displaying this packaging in any relation to the product thereby diminishing the purpose of the packaging and its marketing potential.

Additionally packaging often holds several products and as one product is purchased or removed the proximity of the packaging becomes important for the retailer. Retail displays are not designed to keep the packaging in immediate proximity to the products.

There are various retail display devices available for the retail display of eyewear. These devices often include a case rotatably supported on a center post, where the case is comprised of, or accepts, panels on which eyeglasses (e.g., sunglasses) can be mounted for display. However these devices lack many of the desired functions of a modern retailer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides an eyeglass display system comprising a body having a top and bottom and back panels for accepting display panels for displaying eyeglasses and their box packaging in immediate proximity to each other.

The present invention overcomes many disadvantages of prior art retail product displays by providing a single or multiple-sided vertically oriented display column for selective exposure of display panels. Each display panel is capable of displaying the product packaging and the product in immediate vicinity to each other. Specifically the inventive display system includes a single display column and single or multiple display panels for the display of eyewear and the box in which the eyewear is packaged.

Among the many display systems embodied in this invention, the display may be floor standing with a single cylindrical display panel that enables customers to walk around the display. The display may also be counter standing and rotationally mounted to allow the customer to rotate the display for viewing different panels or for viewing different angles of a singular cylindrical panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front plan view of the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front plan view of the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a product display system that allows for the simultaneous display, in immediate proximity, of the product and its packaging. In FIG. 1 the display system comprises a top 102 and bottom 104 and four countered display panels, two of which are shown 106, 108. The top and bottom are octagonal in this embodiment but may be of any desired shape including square and circular. The contoured display panels 106, 108 may be mounted to each other by connected side members 110 forming a display column. The connected side members 110 may be mounted to a center column (not shown) or may be free standing. Alternatively, the contoured display panels may be free standing and connected only to the top 102 and bottom 104.

The contoured display panels 106, 108 comprise one or more box openings 112 for receiving the packaging box for eyeglasses. The box openings 112 are adapted to receive the box so that it is supported enough to maintain itself in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 102 and bottom 104.

One or more pairs of eyeglass post openings 114 are adapted to receive the posts of eyeglasses and support the eyeglasses in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 102 and bottom 104. The box openings 112 and the eyeglass post openings 114 are in close proximal relationship and adjacent to each other such that a viewer can view the box and the eyeglasses at once.

In one preferred embodiment, the display system is rotationally mounted on a center mount such that it rotates around its center providing the ability to view all contoured panels without changing the viewers position.

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The side members 110 are shown relative to three contoured panels 106, 107, 108. The proximity of the box openings 112 and eyeglass post openings 114 is also shown. While the exact distance between a box opening 112 and an eyeglass opening is not indicated by the drawings herein, the distance must be close enough to insure a viewer sees and relates both together.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The top 102 has substantially the same dimensions as the bottom 104. It is preferred that the top 102 and bottom 104 are large enough to hang over the contoured panels. In a preferred embodiment the bottom side 116 of the bottom 104 has small feet of a non-slip material such as rubber or is covered in a non-slip material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has a top 402 and bottom 404 substantially similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The contoured display panels 406, 408 are mounted to each other forming a display column by connected side members 410. The connected side members 410 may be mounted to a center column (not shown) or may be free standing. Alternatively, the contoured display panels 406, 408 may be free standing and connected only to the top 402 and bottom 404.

The contoured panels 406, 408 comprise one or more box openings 412 for receiving the packaging box for eyeglasses. The box openings 412 are adapted to receive the box so that it is supported enough to maintain itself in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 402 and bottom 404.

One or more pairs of eyeglass post openings 414 are adapted to receive the posts of eyeglasses and support the eyeglasses in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 402 and bottom 404. Again, the box openings 412 and the eyeglass post openings 414 are in close proximal relationship and adjacent to each other such that a viewer can view the box and the eyeglasses at once.

FIG. 5 is a front plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. The side members 410 are shown relative to three contoured display panels 406, 407, 408. The proximity of the box openings 412 and eyeglass post openings 414 is also shown. In this embodiment there are four box opening 412 and two eyeglass post pair openings 414 for each box opening 412.

The exact number of box openings 412 and eyeglass post openings 414 are determined by the desired height of the display system and the number of eyeglasses packaged in the box. It is undesirable that the height be too great as to make the counter type embodiment unstable or put the top glasses out of reach. It is also undesirable that the number of eyeglass post openings 414 relative to the number of box openings 412 be too great as to deplete too quickly the number of glasses in the box due to the sale of eyeglasses.

While the exact distance between a box opening 112 and an eyeglass opening is not indicated by the drawings herein, the distance must be close enough to insure a viewer sees and relates both together.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment the display system is floor standing with multiple curved display panels 606, 607, 608. These curved display panels are separated by dividers 609 that in a preferred embodiment is mirrored. The top 602 is circular and overhangs the display column formed by the curved display panels. The curved display panels are supported by a bottom 604 that is approximately at the height of an average waist of a viewer. This bottom 604 rests on a stand 605 that stands on the floor.

The curved panels 606, 607, 608 comprise one or more box openings 612 for receiving the packaging box for eyeglasses. The box openings 612 are adapted to receive the box so that it is supported enough to maintain itself in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 602 and bottom 604.

One or more pairs of eyeglass post openings 614 are adapted to receive the posts of eyeglasses and support the eyeglasses in a substantially parallel plane relative to the top 602 and bottom 604. Again, the box openings 612 and the eyeglass post openings 614 are in close proximal relationship and adjacent to each other such that a viewer can view the box and the eyeglasses at once.

FIG. 7 is a front plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. The proximity of the box openings 612 and eyeglass post openings 614 is also shown although as mentioned above the exact relative dimensions are not indicated or depicted in these figures. In this embodiment there are five box opening 612 and two eyeglass post pair openings 614 for each box opening 612.

In FIG. 8 the display system is similar to that shown in FIG. 6, however, the pairs of eyeglass post openings are placed closer together to each other and closed to the box openings 612. This is further shown in FIG. 9 which is a front plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

Accordingly, it should be readily appreciated that the display system of the present invention has many practical applications. Additionally, although the preferred embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims. 

1. A product display system comprising: a top and bottom; one or more display panels forming a display column together with the top and bottom; and, one or more box openings adjacent to one or more eyeglass post openings in the display panels.
 2. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the top and bottom are octagonal.
 3. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the top and bottom are circular.
 4. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the top and bottom have a larger width or diameter than the display column.
 5. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the display panels are contoured.
 6. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the display panels are curved so as to form a substantially cylindrical column when fixed four together.
 7. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the display panels are fixed to side members and the top and bottom forming a four sided column.
 8. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the box openings and eyeglass post openings are simultaneously visible by a viewer.
 9. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: the bottom comprises a nonslip material.
 10. A product display system as in claim 1 wherein: there are two eyeglass post openings for every box opening on a display panel.
 11. A product display system as in claim 10 wherein: there are three box openings on each display panel.
 12. A product display system as in claim 10 wherein: there are four box openings on each display panel.
 13. A product display system as in claim 10 wherein: there are five box openings on each display panel.
 14. A product display system as in claim 1 further comprising: a base supporting the bottom.
 15. A product display system as in claim 14 wherein: the base is adapted to stand on the floor at a height sufficient to place the display panels at standing height of a viewer.
 16. A method of displaying eyeglasses comprising: providing a display apparatus with one or more display panels forming a display column and one or more box openings adjacent to one or more eyeglass post openings in the display panels for displaying eyeglasses in adjacent relationship to a box. 